and how you approach it.
Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Focus on Significant Facts
Here are a few leads that offer the most significant details simply, in a straightforward approach:
▸ “Natalie Stewart drilled nine aces, Sarah Gisondi recorded eight digs, and Ali Carlson recorded 10 assists to lead Charleston Middle School to the state volleyball championship, a three-set victory over Pekin Junior High in Bloomington on Tuesday.”
▸ “Camilo Villegas holed out for an eagle early in his round and made a string of birdies late for a 9-under 63 on the easier North Course at Torrey Pines, giving him a three-shot lead Thursday in the Buick Invitational.”1
▸ “LaShawn Merritt won a second gold medal at the world championships on Sunday when the United States blew away the field in the 4 × 400-meter relay. Merritt, the 400 champion, ran the anchor leg and took the baton home in 2 minutes, 57.86 seconds. Britain took silver in 3:00.53, and Australia picked up the bronze in 3:00.90.”2
Describe Something
Watch players and coaches after a game has concluded—on the sideline, on the field or in the locker rooms—to find something that helps define the game just played.
▸ “Shaun Pruitt’s head hung lower than anybody’s at the Assembly Hall on Thursday night.
“Illinois’ senior center had three opportunities from the free-throw line to give Illinois the lead in the final minutes of Illinois’ game against Indiana, but the ball couldn’t find the bottom of the net. After missing the front end of a one-and-one from the line with four seconds left in regulation, the senior center was unable to convert two more from the line with two seconds left in overtime.
“In a game that saw eight lead changes and nine ties, the No. 14-ranked Hoosiers were able to pull ahead for the final time in the second overtime, outscoring Illinois 14–10 in the final period to escape with an 83–79 victory.”3
▸ “As the game clock ticked down to zero, Susie Rowe finally let up, relaxing her shoulders and skipping a bit toward midfield. The senior back flung her stick in the air like a graduation cap and embraced the nearest teammate, fellow senior Danielle Keeley.
“The Terrapin field hockey team had just won the NCAA championship. The Terps defeated Wake Forest 4–2 Sunday at Trager Stadium in Louisville.
“For the No. 1 Terps (22–2), it is the third title in four years. For Rowe, and the rest of the celebrated senior class, it was the perfect sendoff.”4
Digital Assist
MLB.com regularly inserts video into game stories, usually to offer key moments. In this game story on the World Baseball Classic, four video were inserted into a 900-plus word story—roughly one video every 225 words. The videos, which ranged from 18 to 37 seconds, displayed the final strike that sealed the victory for Puerto Rico in the ninth inning, a two-run throwing error by the USA third baseman, consecutive stolen bases by Javier Baez, and a StatCast assessment that revealed the speed of the ball coming off a bat and the first-step reaction time of the third baseman who caught the ball. By offering video, writers can focus more on trends, storylines, and other aspects of the game. Start inserting video into your own game coverage, even if they are more lengthy and inserted less frequently, in order to practice for your own big leagues after graduation.
—MLB.com
http://m.mlb.com/news/article/219847280/puerto-rico-reaches-wbc-17-semifinals/
Address Field Conditions
Sometimes field conditions or weather greatly affects a game’s outcome. Look at the following example from The New York Times:
PRINCETON, N.J.—The Princeton defense was not the only challenge for Harvard late Saturday afternoon. The Crimson was heading into persistent rain and a gusty wind. A pass did not seem to be such a good idea, especially on a fourth-and-1 late in the game.
Or maybe it was, because Princeton did not expect it. Harvard quarterback Chris Pizzotti floated a pass to tight end Jason Miller for a first down, and the Crimson took the lead four plays later on a 6-yard run by Gino Gordon, then held on for a 24–20 victory.5
Organization
When you have tight deadlines and you’re focusing on news, use the inverted-pyramid style of writing. That means starting with the most significant information and then arranging your other points in descending order of importance, so that, if the story had to be cut from the bottom, you won’t lose anything crucial. In inverted-pyramid structure, you’re unlikely to lead with the first quarter in basketball, the first inning in softball, or the first mile during a cross-country meet, because the key plays tend to come later, when the game is close. So you would first focus on the final quarter of most football games—unless something extraordinary happened in the opening minutes.
Also, insert the score as early as possible. That could be in the second or third paragraph if you’re focusing on a key moment, or that could be the first paragraph if you are filing a straightforward results story on deadline.
Context and Analysis
Tell the reader what this game means. Has a team broken an eight-game losing streak? Qualified for sectionals? Lost its fourth straight five-set volleyball match? Earned a berth in a championship?
Sports Insider: Headline: Bolster Your Resume With Game Coverage
1 Focus on getting beat experience. The more the better. Start small, build up to the major beats at your school.
2 To be a successful beat reporter, one of the keys is showing up. Don’t just cover the games. Show up at practice, even when you are not scheduled to write. The more the coaches and players see you, the more they will trust you and reveal themselves.
3 Write tight. Get to the point quickly. 500-word stories are becoming the norm, so it’s no longer OK to write two paragraphs of prose to set up the lead of the story. A good way to check yourself is to write a headline based on the first two paragraphs of your story.
4 When choosing your postgame sidebar, instead of focusing on a particular player, look for stories that focus on a key moment or key decision that helped turn the result.
5 Don’t take the summer
